1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to a refrigerator door mounted icemaker that produces asymmetrical ice cubes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Incorporating an automatic icemaker into a refrigerator is well known in the art. In most cases, the icemaker is mounted in a freezer compartment portion of the refrigerator. The icemaker is supplied with water and produces ice, in a mold, as required by a user. Most icemakers are provided with a sensor, e.g., a bail arm or the like, that detects an amount of ice in an ice cube storage bin. When the amount of ice falls below a predetermined level, the icemaker is filled with water and an ice production cycle is initiated. At the end of the ice production cycle, a motor shifts a plurality of lifting fingers to release recently formed ice cubes into the ice cube storage bin. In some cases, the icemaker includes a heater that is selectively activated to aid in releasing the ice cubes.
In addition to dispensing ice into an ice storage bin, many refrigerators are provided with a door mounted dispenser that enables a user to retrieve ice, and often times water, without having to access a refrigerated compartment. Typically, a chute extends between the icemaker and the dispenser to guide ice cubes from the ice cube storage bin to the user. In some cases, the icemaker includes an ice crusher that delivers crushed ice on demand. However, as the door must move between open and closed positions, the chute must register with the icemaker each time the door is closed. In addition, a position or interlock switch is required to ensure that the chute is properly positioned before enabling the dispenser to deliver ice to the user.
In the highly competitive field of home appliances, eliminating parts and material, even small parts and small amounts of material, can result in a significant cost savings. Thus, several manufactures have turned to mounting the icemaker to the freezer door. This arrangement not only simplifies the transfer if ice cubes from the ice cube storage bin to the dispenser, but also eliminates any need for interlock switches. Unfortunately, most existing icemakers have a wide footprint which, when mounted to a door, not only requires that the ice cube storage bin be of a certain size, but also requires modifications to shelving in the freezer compartment. The modifications to the shelving undesirably reduce storage space in the refrigerator.
Based on the above, there exists a need for a door mounted icemaker having a narrow footprint so as to be accommodated on a freezer compartment door without significantly reducing, and preferably without even modifying, existing freezer storage capacity. Moreover, there exists a need for an icemaker having a narrow footprint that will produce ice cubes having a volume substantially corresponding to current configurations.